I'm still miffed that they didn't let Lisa Leuschner perform in the Wild Card show.

Here's Randy going off about how she has the best voice in the whole competition and reminds him of Kelly Clarkson, and then "unfortunately, you won't be singing tonight." With no reason why when they give the other 3 singers not allowed to sing reasons. WTF?!?

Lisa was awesome – had an amazing voice, great stage presence, and had me hooked to the TV about ready to drool- not from her looks exactly but just from the sensuality she showed in her performance.

The judges are stupid. And it just made me realize that it felt like they were riggin' it for someone THEY want to win get through- they seem to have a hankering for R&B singers this year and are praising them left and right-- even when their performances sucked, quite honestly.

Bleh, so yes, no favorite because I'm still pissed at Lisa wasn't allowed to perform. Especially when during her group's week, she was in the top three.

If I have to pick someone, I'd say John Peter Lewis purely because of the fact that he has a very unique voice. His stage presence though is lacking.

~Gabber

"Deliver me, out of my sadness Deliver me, from all of the madnessDeliver me, courage to guide meDeliver me, strength from inside me

All of my life, I've been in hidingWishing there was someone just like youNow that you're here, now that I've found youI know that you're the one to pull me through..."

I was upset that they let some of those awful wild cards perform over Lisa. She could have taken the wild card slot from Jon Peter PenSalesman. Unique voice, yes, but I just can't deal with the rest of him. Actually, aside from George (and only his last night performance) I have no use for any of the top 12 men.

Okay, after last night's episode there is only one person out of the top 12 that I care about now:

Jasmine Trias. She could win it.

Doesn't mean I'm not still pissed that they didn't let Lisa perform.

TwinXenas – I have no idea why Leah got picked either. My personal opinion? It seems to me that the judges (possibly excluding Simon) want a R&B singer to win. Look at the way they were praising Camille in her group even though personally it felt like to me she sold out and picked a song she thought America would like...and well, sucked while doing it. They have also been praising Leah left and right, even though her performances have been lackluster too. (At least last night they got on both Camille and Leah's case for once.)

I dunno, I feel like the judges are going for image this year over someone who could really stun.

lila – I was infuriated. I was tempted to turn off the TV after they said she wasn't going to perform. I downloaded her performance of "Sweet Thing" a couple of days ago (because I didn't tape that night's show), and it just reinforced my belief that she's way better than prolly 10 of the top 12 contestants. She could have easily made it to the top 3.

I don't know...American Idol can be really hypocritical sometimes. They say it's all about the voice, but yet they don't let Lisa through who they say is the best voice in the competition. They tell Lisa she needs to lose weight, but they don't say the same thing to Jennifer Hudson, Ruben Studdard, etc who weigh more than her. Last year, they kick Frenchie out of the finalists because she posed on a porn website (and I saw the pictures- she wasn't even topless in any of them- other people were on that site but not her)... but they allow Nikki McKibben from first season to remain even though she was a stripper. Riiiiight. Hypocrisy all over the place. They're beginning to annoy me greatly.

This is the first year where I've watched the beginning of the Top 12 shows and not really cared.

This is what I think of everyone:

Latoya London – Had one of the best performances with "All By Myself", although I'm wondering if her voice can stand apart as unique.

Amy Adams – Ehhh...I'm not quite sure why she got through in the first place. Yes, she has a great normal register, but over her break, she's very weak and can't sing these relatively low high notes. Plus, she doesn't have a unique voice, it just sounds like Celine without the high ability. Also not impressed with how she chose such a "safe" song last night-- you have to be ballsy in this competition.

Matthew Rogers – *laughs* Y'know...I made a comment about him to my mom about how you could tell the teenyboppers power-dialed for him because he's the classic football jock...without even knowing that he DID play football until later that night when I saw his little thing before his performance. LOL. He's cute, but he doesn't have much of a voice.

Camille Velasco – *sighs* Her best performance was in Hawaii. Ever since then, I don't know what she's doing here. Teenybopper power dialing again, IMHO. Does she look like she's in pain when she sings to anyone else??

John Stevens – Obviously has a very unique voice. Very cute kid. Don't know how far he'll make it though on his one "schtick."

Fantasia Barrino – Honestly? Just sounds like another Macy Gray to me. She's alright, but we already got a Macy Gray.

Leah LaBelle – ... like lila said, trying too hard. Her voice just hasn't seemed "all that" to me the whole time. Like back in the Pasadena auditions, when she performed in that girl trio-- to me, the other two outdid her and uh, they're not in the top 12. Go figure.

John Peter Lewis – I like his voice. I liked him best at his first audition in Hawaii. He wasn't oversinging, and his beautiful tone came out. Lately though, he's been over singing. And I so want to see him tone down the craziness and just sing, and simply be a good performer. He has potential, he just...isn't quite there yet.

George Huff – Am I the only one who doesn't like his voice? Or his personality? He reminds me of Ricky "Hercules! Hercules!" Smith.

Jennifer Hudson – Hm. Y'know, she's a cruise ship singer. And quite frankly, YES, she is a cruise ship singer. She's perfect for that job with her theatrics and overdoing everything. American Idol though? Not so much.

Jasmine Trias – The only ray of light in this competition for me. Grace, beauty, sweetness, and a voice that calls me to attention. I hope she does really well.

Diana Degarmo – I like her. I like her voice. I like her presence. There's something I don't like, but I just can't put my finger on it. I'd say she could make it to the top 5 though.

*cough* And there you have Keri's review of everyone in the top 12. I was bored, sue me.

~Gabber

"Deliver me, out of my sadness Deliver me, from all of the madnessDeliver me, courage to guide meDeliver me, strength from inside me

All of my life, I've been in hidingWishing there was someone just like youNow that you're here, now that I've found youI know that you're the one to pull me through..."

Thanks, TwinXenas...I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I tried to capture what I thought about each of them as well as possible.

*laughs* I'm just a tad bit too passionate when it comes to the top 12 I think. It's all the judges' fault for not picking Lisa. If they'd let her sing, I'd prolly be a bit less babble-y.

~Gabber

"Don't think twice before you listen to your heart Follow the trace for a new start What you need and everything you'll feel Is just a question of the deal In the eye of storm, you'll see a lonely dove The experience of survival is the key To the gravity of love

Try to think about it ... That's the chance to live your life and discover What it is – what's the gravity of love..."

Now, between Matt and Camille, I think Camille should have gotten the boot. That girl is getting by just little by little... I wonder if she's going to end up being the Nikki McKibben of this season...always in the bottom three but never the one to go.

That episode was disappointing. I mean, c'mon... it may be country week, but take a chance...do an upbeat number, go all out. Or at least SOUND country when you sing. I was proud of Amy Adams for doing exactly that. Both aspects actually, if you think of it.

I was looking forward to hearing John Peter Lewis and Jasmine Trias, but even they disappointed me. John Peter needs to learn to stop holding onto the mic with both hands-- it's just not professional...there's a certain way to hold a mic. And Jasmine was...very pitchy...and I just did not like her rendition of "Breathe" at all. When I heard she was going to sing it, I was excited because yeah, Jasmine's got an awesome voice and possibly could have been the only one in the top 12 to do justice with Faith Hill's "Breathe" but...I was very disappointed. I'm beginning to believe nobody should be allowed to sing "Breathe" except Faith.

Also, did it seem like to anyone else that EVERYBODY was either flat or sharp? I think maybe they couldn't hear that well. It kinda showed when the judges would say something and almost all of them would lean forward like "What?" because they couldn't hear correctly.

Y'know...you would THINK with all the money that American Idol gets from this show, with all the money they invest in the stage and everything else... that they would invest in some ear pieces for the top 12. C'mon. Everybody knows that you can come off flat/sharp in an auditorium like that if you don't have an earpiece in your ear. The top 12 aren't given a fighting chance sometimes.

Yet another reason I wanna kick American Idol producers. *cough*

~Gabber

"I talked for hours to your wallet photograph...and you just listened."

"It's really easy to change your mind, but it is almost impossible to change your heart."

Fantasia, La Toya, Jasmine wowed us!Diana is okay.Jennifer is always over the top, but she is good.The 2 Johns we don't care much.Amy is cool.George is cool, too. We only wished he dressed up nicely last night.Camille, Camille, Camille, what can we say? She's good, but not yet there. We don't want her to go yet, though.

Last night's ep kinda sucked honestly. When I heard it was going to be Motown, I thought "Okay, this should be a good week", but it really really wasn't. Y'know, I think somewhere along the line, they should really have a "rock week" because that's the music of today. That's the only thing I don't really get with doing "old style" music... it's not popular anymore, it's not going to matter in the long run of things. Eh, just my little beef with the show though... what they should be doing is doing different styles of music that ARE relevant today. Oh well.

Camille Velasco ... Someone needs to put that girl out of her misery. She was like the Energizer Bunny on steroids during her performance. Stop moving your arms around so much Camille!

John Stevens ... Really flat. Really bad. Honestly, I like his style and sound but he's just not right for this competition. At all. He can't even change to match each week. I think he should go soon for that reason alone.

LaToya London ... Ai'ight. Not bad. Not good. Lose the hair extensions.

Jon Peter Lewis ... What was that little dance he was doing at the beginning? That was weird. *sighs* I swear, I like his voice a lot...I just really wish he could do more with his stage presence. And pick some better songs.

Amy Adams ... Was disappointed in her. She was safe yet again. I was so proud of her last week because she was daring with doing the Dixie Chicks number, and really GOOD doing it. She shined. But yet again this week, not so much. Plus, the "Dancing in the Streets" song always makes me think of a Richard Simmons workout video.

Jasmine Trias ... *grins* There's the Jasmine I love. Good girl. Gutsy doing the song that Kelly Clarkson chose for Motown week first season. But it worked.

Jennifer Hudson ... Heh, this was her week. I figured if anybody would sound good with this style of music, it would be her, and I was right. WAY over the top once again though.

Fantasia ... I...don't think I understood why all the judges were wowed by the performance. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Fantasia's performances usually if not her voice... but during this one, I was bored. I looked off and wasn't really paying attention too much. I don't get it.

George Huff ... OH DEAR LORD, somebody get him off the stage!! *cough* Don't mind me. *cough* I have issues with George, he seems so fake to me. Putting on this personality so America will love him, but he's really not like that type of issues. I was about ready to SMACK the boy when he came out with a towel in his hand. Any performer knows it is unprofessional to hold a towel in your hand the whole performance. If you're sweating, you dab your forehead, put it down and move on, you don't hold onto it. And you certainly do NOT throw it into the audience like you're the biggest baddest thing to ever walk the face of the earth!! I already didn't like him, but he just SO fell so hard with that towel thing. I'm disgusted. UGH.

So who do I want to go this week? GEORGE. Who do I think will go? Possibly Amy, John, or Camille.

I have no idea. Most of them sucked actually. And why did they pick some of the songs they did? I mean, c'mon, Elton John is a musical genius and you pick THOSE songs? Are you stupid??

Fantasia – don't screech. Screeching is not singing. You still sound like Macy Gray, sorry...and is anyone else getting tired of her attitude whenever Simon says something she doesn't like? She tries to make it so people will find it funny and some do, but it's really starting to rub me wrong. Just take the criticism graciously. I think one of the things that "tests" the singers is the critcism...how they can react to it...if they can be professional about it like a professional should be. Fantasia shows she can't.

Jon Peter Lewis – *sighs* I do believe that was his worst performance to date. And I'm rooting for him, but the judges nailed it-- he needs voice lessons. He needs to learn how to control his voice, because he oversings and thinks power all the time is singing and it's not. He needs to get in touch with his softer voice, because the RARE time I heard it, it was beautiful and is WHY I'm such a fan of his. But last night's performance sucked.

Jasmine Trias – I agree with Paula-- lol, Paula actually had a lot of useful comments this time around... she needs to "color it up"...not do power the whole time because what I love most about her is her softer voice, her control. When she started the song, I was like sighing going, "She's a breath of fresh air" and then she went to power which sounded great...but then she continued in it for the rest of the song, and it didn't sound as great. Good performance, but she's capable of more.

John Stevens – heh! Am I the only one who enjoyed it? LOL. I only enjoyed it because he showed some personality at last and didn't do his normal Frank Sinatra thing. But it was fun at least.

George Huff – *sighs* I still don't like him. I don't care what anyone else says. I think he's fake. Fake fake fake.

Camille Velasco – Oddly enough, I think it was one of her better performances (and Simon's comment was pretty harsh)...but I still didn't like it. Why was she bouncing her shoulders to a slow song? There was no beat. Don't be bouncing. It's not hip hop.

Latoya London – Beautiful. Straight up beautiful. Made me remember why I loved her so much after she sang "All By Myself" the very first time we saw her. That's why. That power, great voice, and amazing presence that commands the audience's attention.

Jennifer Hudson – Thank you!! She finally stopped doing the theatrics! It made her performance SO much more enjoyable and she was easy to handle...you could finally focus on her voice instead of her wide eyes and shaking her head all over the place. Wonderful performance. I was impressed, and I didn't really like her, but I was impressed even.

Diana Degramo – I was trying to figure out who I forgot and then I realized it was Diana Degramo. Usually I don't forget her performance, but...that's exactly it. Her performance was forgettable.

That's it.

Based on the actual performances last night, who do I think should get booted? Either Camille, John Stevens, Jon Peter Lewis, or Diana Degramo. Who do I think WILL get voted off? Not Camille because she has all the teenyboppers voting for her doing 2000 votes a night each type of thing. I don't think Jon Peter will because of the same reason. So it's either Diana or John, and John possibly has more teenyboppers voting for him than Diana. So I wouldn't be surprised if Diana is gone tonight.

Twinxenas, I think you're right. Your theory that is. Amy was the first one down out of the three and she was the one to go. You just may be onto something. You wouldn't think the producers would make it THAT obvious. Even the second person down was the second to go back, and the third one down was the first to go back. That's so predictable. Ah well.

Oh dear lord I had to mute the tv last night. Please, someone save me from Camille and the Johns. Actually, please save me from most of the singers last night. No idea who will get the axe tonight but judging by the way the inane voting has been going this season it will probably one of the few that did a decent job. Nothing would surprise me.

edited to add that I LOL at Gabber's analysis of Camille's bouncing. Word.

john peter lewis seems to actually be getting worse, which is a shame 'cause i like him

john...whatever i'm not a huge fan, but credit where credit's due - it was brave of him to break out of his "box". it wasn't a great performance, but i enjoyed it. also, i thought his dancing was neat

jasmine it wasn't her best performance, but she was still better than most of the poeple there. there was no way she should have been in the bottom 2.

jennifer ok. this girl is an instrument of god...or disney. anyway, she rocks. i love her to death and if she doesn't win i am personally going to burn your entire country to the ground!! so get voting

george i dislike him, but i think he earned his spot in the top 3 this week (as did latoya). it was a good song choice - i liked it.

jasmine i'd just like to point out again how much she should NOT have been in the bottom 2. stupid americans()